Delve Networks has sealed a strategic partnership with Akamai Technologies, a deal that allows the Seattle online video startup to offer enhanced video management, delivery and publishing technologies to customers.

Not one to mince words, Delve CEO Alex Castro offers a more direct explanation of the deal in the title of his blog post: "Akamai and Delve team up to provide a better alternative to Brightcove." It's interesting to see a startup company toss stones at a competitor, but Castro has gone after his heavily-funded competitor before. (Frankly, we like to see entrepreneurs address rivals head on rather than the tired line we hear too often from startups about "not having any competition.")

Utilizing Akamai's content distribution network, Delve says it will be able to deliver HD-quality video on behalf of customers. Delve, which raised a $1.6 million venture round in May, has 70 customers using its video publishing tool including Standard & Poors, 1800Flowers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

"The collaboration between Delve and Akamai offers our customers a complete video management solution built on top of Akamai’s superior global video delivery network," writes Castro in the blog.

And speaking of Delve, Fierce Online Video this week had an interesting Q&A with Castro where the CEO discloses that the company's revenue grew 100 percent from the first quarter to the second quarter. He says:

We're beginning to see folks outside of media and entertainment want to use video as an online marketing effort, and we're seeing a wide mix of companies showing interest. We're seeing companies taking video seriously and we're seeing a tremendous trend of folks weaving video through their business.

Follow John Cook on Twitter @johnhcook.